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WAVELENGTHS: Are the sea turtles trying to send a message?

Four named storms so far. Amazing. But, do the sea turtles know more than they are telling us?

A few years ago, Rich Banks, Neptune Beach lifeguard captain and teacher at Fletcher Senior High, told me about a story he had heard growing up on New Jersey beaches. The story was that when sea turtles build their nests high on the beach in the dunes, we are in for a nasty storm season.

I remembered that story when, very early in this nesting season, a bold turtle climbed a dune in Neptune Beach. She left her nest at what looks like a record height in the dunes between Orange and Cherry Streets.

Imagine a pregnant turtle climbing a dune! What does she know? How does she know it?

Almost every turtle nest this year has been located close to or in the dunes. Are your flood and wind insurance policies up to date and paid?

June had better than normal waves for surfers. I issued a “full surf alert” on the surf report phone line for conditions enhanced by Debby’s actions beyond her rainfall totals.

The summer of 1995 was a monumental time for surfers. We enjoyed nearly daily riding-quality surf for more than three months. Joe Roland was one of this area’s first pro-level surfers in the late ‘60s. Into his 50s, he surfed better than most of the area’s teenagers. He and I were out one day in Neptune Beach that summer. I turned to him and said, “See, Joe, I told you if we lived long enough we’d see surf in the summer!”

That summer, our surf came from a series of odd storms that never threatened us. They stayed off shore and often left us with 2- to 4-foot waves and good conditions all summer — rare summer indeed.

Several storms have grazed us since Hurricane Dora gave us a direct hit in 1964. Summer surf is generally flat to small for most of June and July. Storms produce the conditions that give us surf. August to October offers the best odds for warm-water surf.

I continue to search for a sea turtle to interview about our chances of being hit by a hurricane. Those storms that suddenly formed just to the east of the Beaches may also foretell our future.

Weather always comes with a catch. Many also remember the summer of 1997 when drought brought wildfire to much of Florida. Firefighters came from out west to help extinguish blazes that choked us with smoke and burnt thousands of acres of forest.

Our enchanted no-name island was spared the fire, but not the effects of the drought. It has kept me from complaining about rainy days since then.

“Summer time and the living is easy.” So says the song from Porgy and Bess. Ask the flooded residents of Clay County about Debby and listen to their answers.

Meanwhile, I keep “listening” to the actions of the sea turtles. The painting and repairs to my house, built in 1938, are almost done. I just hope the “new” dunes from the ‘70s and ‘80s are big enough to keep away a certain ocean.

Bill Longenecker is a freelance contributor to Shorelines and a Neptune Beach resident.